Miami Heat: Haslem thinks Celtics should move on from Allen pettiness

Feb 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Udonis Haslem tells the Miami Herald that the Boston Celtics need to move on from their pettiness over Ray Allen’s joining the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem spoke about the Boston Celtics’ omission of an invitation to Ray Allen for the anniversary of their 2008 championship, in a recent conversation with the Miami Herald.

"“We don’t roll like that. They’ve got to get over that. It is what it is. Ray came over. We were fortunate enough to get him. He’s a great player. We won a championship. The past is the past.“I understand when you feel like somebody wasn’t loyal to you. It’s kind of hard to get over. But you know you can’t be mad at Ray man. Ray is a great guy, a great teammate and he gave his heart and soul to those guys.”"

Allen came to Miami in 2012, after the Heat defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. What ensued was a pretty embarrassing level of pettiness from Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rondo that had not been seen since Isiah Thomas purposely walked off the court passed the Bulls bench without shaking hands. Here’s Garnett snubbing Allen during their first matchup after Allen’s departure:

A man that put the same amount of blood, sweat, and tears into his tenure with the Celtics as the other three guys, was treated as an outcast for moving on from the team that had previously tried to trade him more than once. There’s loyalty and then there’s loyalty to a fault, and if anyone knew that, it was Garnett. He toiled in NBA purgatory (lottery/1st-Round exit) for 12 years before he saw the light.

The idea that Allen joined the enemy, despite the fact that Boston tried to get rid of him previously, has always been hilarious to me. Players are expected to remain true to their organizations in blind faith, but the organizations aren’t required to move by the same manifesto, so to speak. Ultimately, Haslem is correct, the rest of the 2008 Celtics need to move on. Pettiness in any form is unbecoming. Especially when it involves someone that was once considered a brother.